13.0 TRANSPORTATION Budget, Expenditures, and Funding

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1 13.0 TRANSPORTATION This chapter addresses the transportation operation in the Clay County School District. The chapter is organized into the following five sections: 13.1 Budget, Expenditures, and Funding 13.2 Organization and Staffing 13.3 Management Policies and Bus Driver Training 13.4 Routing and Scheduling 13.5 Vehicle Maintenance 13.1 Budget, Expenditures, and Funding CURRENT SITUATION State law authorizes each school district in Florida to provide transportation to and from school and for extracurricular activities for students in the general population. In addition, federal law requires transportation to be provided to students with disabilities, even if a school district does not provide transportation to its general population. School districts in Florida are eligible for a transportation funding allotment from the state for transporting regular and special education students to and from school, and vocational students to and from remote class sites. Regular students include students attending neighborhood and magnet schools. The Florida Department of Education determines the rules of eligibility for transportation funding from the state. Transportation expenses that exceed the state allotment and extracurricular transportation costs are paid with local funds. Regular transportation allotments for each school district are limited to students who live two or more miles from the school they attend. Regular students living within two miles of their school are expected to arrange their own transportation. Exceptions are granted for students whose trip to and from school would traverse hazardous areas. Local districts are reimbursed for qualifying transportation expenses using a legislated formula based on three indices: the Florida Price of Living Index (FPL), the rurality index, and the bus occupancy index. Each of the indices is used along with total adjusted students for the base allocation factor to determine the total transportation allocation. Exhibit 13-1 shows the transportation allocations received from the state for Clay County and the comparison school districts. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-1

2 EXHIBIT 13-1 STATE TRANSPORTATION ALLOCATION FOR CLAY COUNTY AND COMPARISON SCHOOL DISTRICTS SCHOOL DISTRICT STATE TRANSPORTATION ALLOCATION Alachua $1,004,313 Bay $4,280,064 Clay $4,249,359 Lake $5,931,656 Osceola $4,784,733 St. Johns $3,432,909 Source: Department of Education, Final Calculation, Student Transportation Allocation for , June In Florida, each school district is responsible for the capital cost of purchasing and replacing school buses. Districts may purchase school buses through the Florida Department of Management Services under a master state contract. Lane miles are reported to the state by school districts to provide an indication of the transportation concerns of the district. Exhibit 13-2 shows the lane miles in Clay County and comparison districts. EXHIBIT 13-2 LANE MILES FOR CLAY COUNTY AND COMPARISON SCHOOL DISTRICTS SCHOOL DISTRICT PAVED MILES UNPAVED MILES TOTAL MILES Alachua 1, ,613 Bay 1, ,669 Clay ,019 Lake 1, ,936 Osceola ,228 St. Johns Source: Department of Education, Q-Links, June MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-2

3 The budget for the transportation costs in the district is shown in Exhibit As can be seen, the combination of salaries and benefits amounts to almost 75 percent of the overall budget for transportation. EXHIBIT 13-3 CLAY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION BUDGET OBJECT BUDGET PERCENT OF TOTAL Salaries $4,005, % Retirement $698, Social Security $321, Group Insurance $391, Projects-Overtime $136, Work in Addition to Normal Contract $77, Work in Addition to Normal Contract (Retirement, $30,850.4 Social Security) Professional/Technical (Mapnet Technical $2, Assistance, Mapnet Plus Training, Consultants for Drivers Orientation) Insurance and Bond Premiums $145, Class C Meal Allowance $ Travel $1, Repairs and Maintenance $74, Refuse/Landfill Charges for Tires and Oil Filter $2, Disposal Other Purchased Services $43, A/V and Printing $3, Gasoline $4, Diesel Fuel $449, Supplies $114, Periodicals $ Oil, Grease, and Transmission Fluid $26, Repair Parts $296, Tires and Tubes $80, Building and Fixed Equipment $1, Equipment $200 & Over $93, School Buses to be Funded with Part III Funds at (0) (0) a later date Vehicles $1, EQ $2, Computer Hardware $ $200 & Over Software $200 & Over $3, Software Less Than $200 $1, Dues and Fees-DEP and DEFSC dues $ Other $191, TOTAL $7,198,976 Source: Clay County School District, General Service records, MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-3

4 The salaries and benefits as a percentage of the transportation operating budget for Clay County and comparison school districts as shown in Exhibit FINDING EXHIBIT 13-4 SALARIES AND BENEFITS AS A PERCENT OF TRANSPORTATION OPERATING BUDGET FOR CLAY COUNTY AND COMPARISON SCHOOL DISTRICTS SCHOOL DISTRICT SALARY AND BENEFITS AS A PERCENT OF TRANSPORTATION OPERATING BUDGET Alachua 79.1% Bay 69.0% Clay 81.1% Lake 79.1% Osceola 86.0% St. Johns 80.8% Source: Department of Education, Q-Links, June The district spends more per student to provide transportation services than do other school districts. The expenditure per student calculation (Exhibit 13-5) of $545 is slightly below the state average ($550), but is 17 percent above the comparison district average. Further, the district relies on local funding for transportation to a significantly greater extent than the average of the comparison districts (as will be addressed later in this chapter). RECOMMENDATION Recommendation 13-1: Take necessary action to maximize state allocation. Several controlling factors affect both the expenditure per student and the state to local funding ratio. Most prevalent among these factors is the number of eligible students receiving transportation. Average bus occupancy counts as reported school districts during October and February transportation surveys are used for calculating a bus occupancy index. This index is used to calculate a district base allocation factor. The bus occupancy index is the only index that can be controlled by the district based on its transportation decisions. Other indices, such as the Florida Price of Living Index and rurality index, are not based on district decisions. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-4

5 EXHIBIT 13-5 CLAY COUNTY AND COMPARISON SCHOOL DISTRICTS TRANSPORTATION EXPENDITURES AND TRANSPORTATION ALLOCATION SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION EXPENDITURES TRANSPORTATION ALLOCATION PERCENT STATE FUNDING PERCENT LOCAL FUNDING EXPENDITURES PER STUDENT Alachua $6,981,304 $5,481, % 21.4% $535 Bay $5,249,783 $4,280, % 18.4% $444 Clay $6,284,615 $4,249, % 32.3% $545 Lake $5,668,371 $5,931, % - 4.6% $387 Osceola $4,825,177 $4,784, %.84% $440 St. Johns $3,519,555 $3,432, % 2.4% $429 Comparison District Average 88.1% 13.3% $463 State Average 65.83% 34.17% $550 Source: Department of Education, Q-Link, June In order to receive the maximum amount of the state transportation appropriation, each school district must attempt to maximize its bus occupancy index. The bus occupancy index is a factor ranging from 0.9 to 1.1 and is an indexing of all state school districts based on the average bus occupancy of the district. The average bus occupancy index is calculated by taking the average number of eligible students during the October and February transportation surveys and dividing that number by the number of buses serving those students. The bus occupancy index is based on the average bus occupancy. Only two factors control the average bus occupancy. These factors are: average eligible student counts; and number of buses serving those students. The Clay County School District must take appropriate action to maximize its bus occupancy average in order to receive maximum transportation funding from the state. The recommendations listed in the routing and scheduling section of this chapter provide guidance for generating this maximization. SEE SECTION 13.4 FOR THIS RELATED IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES, TIMELINE, AND FISCAL IMPACT. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-5

6 13.2 Organization and Staffing Exhibit 13-6 provides an organizational chart of the Transportation Department in the Clay County School District. The Transportation Department functions include routing, scheduling, and vehicle maintenance for both buses and the general fleet. The Transportation Department consists of three organizational units: the Office of the Director of Transportation; the Operations and Training Division; and the Fleet Maintenance Division. Personnel and vehicles for the Clay County Transportation Department are housed at three separate locations throughout the county. The Clay County School District compounds its buses at all three locations, which means that drivers living in the appropriate geographic area of the county arrive in the mornings and afternoons to pick their buses up to run school bus routes, and return their buses to the same compound once the bus run is completed. The department s central garage facility, which includes the Office of the Director of Transportation and houses 46 buses, is located in Green Cove Springs. The department s major bus depot, which houses approximately 172 vehicles and a much smaller unenclosed garage facility, is located in Middleburg. An outdoor bus depot, which houses 26 vehicles and a fueling station, is located in Keystone. The Director of Transportation provides direction and supervision to Transportation Department employees, provides for the planning and implementation of school bus routes and schedules, and assists in the development of the annual and long-range comprehensive plan and budget for all transportation-related needs. The Director s Office includes an Administrative Secretary, who types correspondence and prepares various reports, assists the Director in the preparation of the annual operating budget, maintains departmental records and logs, and performs miscellaneous clerical duties. The department s central administrative office also includes two Payroll Coordinators who prepare and process payroll work sheets and time cards for full-time personnel and bus drivers. The Payroll Coordinators calculate driver hours and maintain records of personal leave including short-term and long-term leave. These staff members also process field trip requisitions, including recording information, filing, binding, and distributing copies to requesting schools; posting field trip surcharges to the ledger; and assisting requesting departments with the scheduling of trips and the calculation of costs. The Operations and Training Division is a second organizational division of the Transportation Department. The major responsibilities of the Operations and Training Supervisor/Coordinator include: supervising all daily transportation operations, including home-toschool and school-to-home transportation of all students, extracurricular bus trips, and bus driver assignments; MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-6

7 EXHIBIT 13-6 CLAY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART Director of Transportation Director II Administrative Secretary (1) Payroll Support Assistant (2) Operations & Training Supervisor/Coordinator II Fleet Maintenance Supervisor/Coordinator II Administrative Support Assistant (1) Route Dispatch (2) Routing Specialist (3) Parts Manager (1) Green Cove Springs Shop Foreman (1) MiddleburgKeystone Shop Foreman (1) Fuel Attendant (1) Bus Drivers ESE Aid/Bus Drivers Assistant Parts Manager (1) Lead Mechanic (1) Lead Mechanic (1) Fuel Attendant (1) Mechanics (4) Mechanics (3) Mechanic Assistant (1) Mechanic Assistant (1) MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-7

8 developing and implementing preservice and inservice training for bus drivers and ESE Aides (Monitors), including Florida Basic School Bus Driver s Curriculum and Commercial Drivers License Third-Party Testing as per the agreement with the Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle; supervising routing personnel and monitoring the utilization of the computerized bus routing program, known as Mapnet, to assure the safe, efficient, and effective use of personnel and equipment; maintaining individual employee records for all training; and assisting the Director in responding to requests from parents, school-based personnel, and others as appropriate regarding bus routing needs and other issues related to school bus drivers and ESE aides. There are three Routing Specialists in the Operations and Training Division of the department. The duties of these personnel include: determining bus routes and schedule the transportation of district students; evaluates stop and start times in accordance with State and District policies; enters information onto the Mapnet computer system and issues route copies to drivers; determining feasibility of requests, including the rationale, associated costs, and potential liability of each request; monitoring driver performance and compliance with district policies; and conducting on-site evaluations in the field and accident investigations. There are two Routing Dispatchers in the department. The duties of these personnel include: assigning substitute drivers to cover regular bus routes in the event of an emergency, regular driver absence or field trips; receives information and determines bus driver coverage; answering questions, receiving complaints, and providing information to students, staff, and parents; determining the priority of calls and responds accordingly (i.e. accident reports, angry parents, etc.); and driving buses when needed to ensure transportation coverage of students. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-8

9 The primary mission of the Operations and Training Division is to oversee the training and provide daily supervision of all bus drivers and ESE aides/monitors employed by the Transportation Department. The Fleet Maintenance Division includes the largest concentration of full-time personnel and is the department s major area of capital expenditure. The Fleet Maintenance Supervisor oversees shop personnel at both the Green Cove Springs and the Middleburg locations, including: a parts manager and an assistant parts manager two shop foremen two lead mechanics seven mechanics two mechanics assistants two fuel attendants The major duties and responsibilities of the Fleet Maintenance Supervisor include: supervising all personnel involved in vehicle maintenance; scheduling personnel to assure that regular vehicle inspections are completed in accordance with state statutory requirements and district policy; recommending the procurement and replacement of vehicles in use throughout the district; and coordinating the rotation of buses as appropriate to maximize the longevity and efficiency of the bus fleet. Exhibit 13-6 shows the fleet maintenance staffing distribution for both the Green Cove Springs and Middleburg operational locations. Personnel at the Glenn Cove Springs and Middleburg School Bus Garage locations work two overlapping, rotating shifts. One shift s mechanics arrive at 5 a.m. and work until 1 p.m. The second shift starts at 10 a.m. and works until 6 p.m. This arrangement allows the garage to be fully staffed with mechanics from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., and both shifts of personnel to be available from the hours of 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to complete major repair work and inspections. As school buses are compounded at both locations, mechanics can easily pick up a bus when it is required for service. The Shop Foreman supervises and schedules the maintenance of school buses and other district vehicles, coordinates the repair needs of vehicles, and ensures that there is an adequate supply of gas and oil. The Lead Mechanic acts as shop supervisor on the first or second shift in the absence of the Shop Foreman and performs required mechanical work. Mechanics perform major and minor repair on school buses and district vehicles, and perform bus safety inspections to determine compliance or noncompliance within pre-established safety standards. The Mechanics Assistant performs preventative maintenance inspections and related service and repairs. Fuel attendants work a limited number of hours to pump fuel and check oil and water levels for school vehicles. The Fuel Attendant at the Keystone bus compound works only MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-9

10 three hours per work day to fuel buses as they leave for morning and afternoon runs. Keystone is situated in a more rural and remote section of Clay County, and the Keystone Fuel Attendant is the only transportation employee at this site. The Parts Manager maintains the parts inventory for buses, cars, and service trucks, and establishes and monitors issuance, charging, stocking, ordering, and record keeping procedures. The Parts Manager also serves as Properties Manager for the Transportation Department, assigns property numbers for each new item of equipment as it is acquired, adds or deletes property numbers from the database, and conducts a regular properties inventory. The Assistant Parts Manager oversees the parts function on the second shift, issues repair parts, and supplies to school district personnel, as authorized. The Assistant Parts Manager also coordinates the implementation of a warranty tracking program, assuring that the proper documentation and credits are issued in accordance with school board procedures. An analysis of the number of buses per mechanic (Exhibit 13-7) indicates that the Clay County School District has sufficient mechanics to perform bus maintenance duties. As shown below, the district is in line with comparison districts. The number of mechanics in the Clay County Schools Transportation Department (10) is close to the comparison district average of nine. The number of buses per mechanic is slightly higher in Clay County (21.3) than the comparison district average of EXHIBIT 13-7 COMPARISON OF MECHANIC LABOR FORCE FOR CLAY COUNTY AND COMPARISON SCHOOL DISTRICTS PERCENT DEDICATED TO BUS MAINTENANCE NUMBER OF BUSES BUSES PER MECHANIC ANNUAL MILES OPERATED SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER OF MECHANICS Alachua 15 90% ,751,287 Bay 9 90% ,667,975 Clay 10 90% ,543,162 Lake 11 90% ,685,404 Osceola 11 90% ,677,580 St. Johns 9 90% ,125,780 Comparison District Average 9 90% ,408,531 Source: Telephone Survey conducted by MGT, COMMENDATION The Director of Transportation is commended for maintaining a transportation mechanic labor force in-line with state and comparison district standards. As can be seen in Exhibit 13-7, Clay County s use of mechanics to service buses is much more cost effective than all comparison school districts. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-10

11 FINDING The Director of Transportation has instituted a procedure of regularly rotating fleet maintenance personnel, giving them an opportunity to serve at both the Green Cove Springs and the Middleburg garage facilities. Shop Foremen and Lead Mechanics rotate from location to location every six months, and regular mechanics are stationed at one garage location throughout an entire school year. This practice provides personnel with the opportunity to work at the enclosed Green Cove Springs garage, which has superior maintenance facilities and equipment. The Middleburg garage is a much smaller structure which does not have a fully enclosed work area for mechanics to perform bus maintenance. Mechanics at Middleburg must often work outside, where they are subject to weather conditions. The regular rotation of mechanics personnel from the Green Cove Springs bus garage to the Middleburg bus garage is an effective procedure which allows mechanics to maintain skill levels and to learn new service techniques. The Green Cove Springs garage has significantly superior facilities, and most heavy bus maintenance, including alignment work, must be completed at this location. Staff at Middleburg are primarily limited to conducting regular bus inspections and changing fluids. Any additional maintenance work must be completed at Green Cove Springs. Mechanics who are stationed at Middleburg are able to maintain their knowledge and skill levels in the use of various heavy maintenance tools through periodic rotation to work at Green Cove Springs. The practice of regularly rotating personnel to work at each bus garage also significantly increases staff morale and fosters the development of a close working team among transportation service personnel. COMMENDATION The Director of Transportation is commended for instituting an effective procedure of staff rotation which has increased skill levels and strengthened morale among transportation mechanics Management Policies and Bus Driver Training FINDING The Clay County School District vehicle inventory records indicate that the school district has implemented a 10- to 12- year bus replacement program buses are the oldest buses in the fleet and are presently being used as spares. Approximately 28 new buses are purchased in each calendar year. As shown in Exhibit 13-2, approximately 31.5 percent of the lane miles traveled by Clay County buses are on unpaved roads, which severely decreases the life of buses. Through a responsible replacement program, the district ensures the safety and well-being of its students. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-11

12 COMMENDATION The Clay County School District is commended for implementing a 10- to 12- year bus replacement program. FINDING The existing Middleburg bus garage facility lacks a fully enclosed work area and maintenance stalls which are protected from wind and exposure to outside weather elements. Staff who are stationed at Middleburg are often unable to perform their duties during periods of severe weather because, under present conditions, they are forced to perform bus inspections and other repair work out in the open. The lack of protected work areas at Middleburg also creates problems of security for mechanics in protecting their tools and equipment from potential theft. The Transportation Department could provide enclosed work areas for mechanics staff simply by constructing a door on one side of an existing open maintenance shed and doors on both sides of a second maintenance stall. RECOMMENDATION Recommendation 13-3: Enclose the Facilities Maintenance work area at the Middleburg bus garage by constructing doors to enable mechanics to work safely without exposure to outside weather elements. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY AND TIMELINE 1. The Director of Transportation should submit a budget request to enclose the Middleburg transportation work area. 2. The Director of Transportation should complete design estimates and schedule construction work to install the three doors. 3. The Director of Transportation should work with Clay County Schools Building Maintenance staff to install the three doors at the start of the school year. May 1998 June 1998 August 1998 FISCAL IMPACT This one-time cost will essentially pay for itself in time through improved mechanic productivity due to a significant reduction in the number of work tasks which are frequently curtailed due to bad weather. Recommendation Install Doors to Enclose the Middleburg Mechanic Work Areas ($75,000) MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-12

13 FINDING Fleet Maintenance staff stationed at Middleburg lack sufficient cross training in the parts inventory control system to be able to easily identify, select, and locate particular parts on the shelf according to their stock numbers without assistance from the Parts Management staff. The Parts Manager at the Green Cove Springs bus garage reports that he regularly spends as much as 20 percent of his time in any given week helping mechanics at Middleburg over the telephone to locate parts based on stock numbers. This represents a significant time inconvenience for the Parts Manager. RECOMMENDATION Recommendation 13-4: Cross train all Fleet Maintenance staff in the parts inventory system used by the Transportation Department. All Fleet Maintenance personnel should have a sufficient working knowledge of the parts management system to be able to locate parts as needed. These skills are particularly essential at the Middleburg location, where mechanics staff need to be able to efficiently locate parts required without having to call the Parts Management staff who are based at another location for assistance. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE 1. The Director of Transportation should work with the Fleet Maintenance Supervisor and the Parts Manager to prepare a training workshop covering the elements of the transportation parts inventory system and how to use the system to efficiently locate parts needed for repair work. 2. The Fleet Maintenance Supervisor and the Parts Manager should present the training program to Fleet Maintenance staff over a two-day period during the school system s summer break. May 1998 June 1998 FISCAL IMPACT This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources. FINDING The Operations and Training Supervisor is primarily responsible bus driver training. Classes for new bus driver candidates are held three to four times a year. Bus driver candidates must complete the written portion of the Commercial Drivers License Examination at the local State of Florida Division of Drivers License Office before they attend a bus class. An entire class lasts approximately two to three days. The Operations and Training Supervisor is certified to administer the second phase of the Commercial Drivers License exam as a certified third-party tester. Bus driver candidates are required to pass a pre-trip inspection, a skills test, a parallel parking MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-13

14 test, etc. Once a driver candidate has satisfactorily completed the road work portion of his training, he is certified to receive a commercial drivers license by the Operations and Training Supervisor, and takes the appropriate paperwork to the nearest Division of Drivers License office. Exhibit 13-8 shows the total number of bus driver training classes held in 1995, 1996, and As can be seen, the number of new bus driver candidates trained has significantly declined in recent years. Historically, the turnover rate among bus drivers in Clay County has been 25 percent. Bus driver training classes consist only of new driver candidates who are willing to fill these vacancies. According to information supplied by Clay County Transportation staff, the bus driver turnover rate declined from 24.8 percent in 1995 to 15.7 percent in COMMENDATION EXHIBIT 13-8 CLAY COUNTY BUS DRIVER TRAINING CLASSES DATES OF DRIVER TRAINING TOTAL NO. OF DRIVERS TRAINED 1995:Jan. March, May, July, Aug, and Oct :Jan., July, Aug., and Dec : Mar., May, June, July, and Aug. 31 Source: Clay County Schools Transportation Department, The Clay County School District is commended for retaining a majority of experienced and well qualified bus drivers. FINDING Exhibit 13-9 provides data on the total number of bus accidents for three consecutive years. As this exhibit shows, the Clay County School District has had a relatively small number of accidents. For example, last year in Lee County the district reported 133 accidents in and 117 in Unfortunately, Q-Links does not make comparisons among Florida school districts on bus driver accidents. EXHIBIT 13-9 BUS DRIVER ACCIDENTS THROUGH TO DATE NUMBER OF YEAR ACCIDENTS (to date) Source: Clay County Schools Transportation Department, MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-14

15 COMMENDATION The Clay County School District is commended on an excellent safety record with a low bus accident rate. Based on MGT s experience in other school systems, this accident rate is significantly lower. FINDING The Operations and Training Division has three Routing Specialists who perform a variety of different functions. At the present time, only one Routing Specialist is completely trained on the County s Mapnet Transportation planning computer software. This Specialist spends the majority of her time entering new student address and address change information on the database as soon as it is received by the schools to update bus driver routes. As only one Routing Specialist is computer trained on the Mapnet System at present, she is required to spend over 75 percent of her time doing computer data entry for route changes, and is unable to leave to observe bus drivers in the field. A second Routing Specialist spends the majority of her time updating and implementing route changes for Exceptional Student Education students. The third Routing Specialist has a more diverse variety of duties. His major responsibilities include deciding which bus will be used on which bus route, in order to keep the number of miles and the wear and tear on each bus as equal as possible. This Specialist must frequently change buses used on a route around on a daily basis due to ESE students who constantly move and are added. This Routing Specialist also oversees the bidding process for new bus routes. As soon as a bus route becomes vacant through a bus driver s resignation or some other means, the Routing Specialist offers the route vacancy to other bus drivers in descending order of seniority. Finally, this Routing Specialist is in responds to all bus accidents at the scene as soon as they occur. He takes pictures of the scene, makes reports to the insurance company, and obtains police reports, as required. All three Routing Specialists spend a substantial amount of time responding to parental phone calls and concerns, and scheduling and attending a number of parent conferences on a monthly basis. At present, the routing specialists spend very little time in the field providing follow-up training and observation of bus drivers. The Operations and Training Supervisor and the Routing Specialists spend a very small amount of time in the field conducting follow-up supervision of bus drivers. At the present time, Routing Specialists provide minimal field supervision of bus drivers, and there are few follow-up inspections to ensure that drivers are using proper safety procedures in the field. Routing Specialists primarily provide follow-up evaluations of bus drivers in response to parental concerns and complaints. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-15

16 RECOMMENDATION Recommendation 13-5: Conduct annual observations and follow-up evaluations of all bus drivers in the field to ensure that they are following regular safety procedures on their bus routes. Routing Specialists should ride with all bus drivers at least once a year in order to ensure that all drivers follow proper safety procedures in completing their routes, including coming to a complete stop for stop signs, unloading and loading students properly, and making sure that drivers use proper courtesy at all times. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY AND TIMELINE 1. Operations and Training staff should set up regular schedule of field observations and inspections trips to observe all bus drivers on their routes at least once a year. Drivers should have no advance notice or warning of when their field observation and inspection are scheduled. Commencing in May 1998 and Ongoing FISCAL IMPACT This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources. FINDING Operations and Training Division staff report that the most common complaint received from parents about bus drivers is that drivers need to use more common courtesy to students and parents while completing their bus routes. While this observation has been made of only a small percentage of Clay County bus drivers, transportation staff in general believe that all bus drivers would benefit from increased customer service training. A number of transportation staff also report that drivers do not receive sufficient training in how to respond to the needs of specially handicapped ESE students who may be confined to wheelchairs and have severe behavior problems. RECOMMENDATION Recommendation 13-6: Schedule customer service training for all bus drivers, and conduct an additional annual bus driver training of the needs of ESE students. The training should include how to properly deal with various types of behavior problems and how to brace a wheel chair to the floor of a bus, etc. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-16

17 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY AND TIMELINE 1. Operations and Training staff should schedule customer service training for all bus drivers. 2. Operations and Training staff should schedule an additional bus driver training to teach drivers how to handle the physical and emotional handicaps of ESE students school year school year FISCAL IMPACT This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources. FINDING The Clay County School Board has adopted a Safe Driver Policy which is intended to ensure the safest possible transportation for the district s students and employees (see Exhibits and 13-11). The policy establishes provisions whereby drivers acquire a certain number of points for their records according to violations they have received. This policy applies to all Clay County school personnel whose job descriptions require a safe driving record. It applies to both the driving of the district-owned vehicles and the employee s personal vehicle. This policy became effective in January 1998, and includes only employee license points which accumulate after the policy s effective date. COMMENDATION The Clay County School District is commended for adopting an strong safe driving policy which will serve as an active deterrent and increase the observance of safe driving procedures among affected employees. FINDING The Clay County School District leases uniforms and windbreakers for all bus drivers under a master contract which is bid annually. The contract includes the renting of the uniforms and does not include uniform cleaning. Under the specifications of the contract, the billing cost of the uniforms is divided evenly over 52 weeks a year, even though personnel only use the uniforms about nine months a year. The cost per week is as follows: 200 uniforms x a unit price of $2.26 per person per week= $ windbreakers x a unit price of $2.00 per week= Total cost per week $ Total amount of annual bus driver uniform contract $44,304 (a weekly cost of $852 x 52 weeks a year) MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-17

18 EXHIBIT POINT CRITERIA FOR CLAY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SAFE DRIVER POLICY VIOLATION POINTS At-fault accident driving a District vehicle, involving any other vehicle and/or 1 physical property resulting in damage of less than $500 (no citation required) At-fault accident driving a District vehicle, involving any other vehicle and/or 3 physical property resulting in damage of $500 or more(no citation required) Any moving traffic infraction for which a citation is issued (* Points assessed in * accordance with DHSMV guidelines.) Failure to make a timely report of an accident/incident or citation received 6 involving a District vehicle. Timely means: as soon as reasonably possible, given all circumstances, but no later than the end of the work shift in most situations. Failure to make a timely report of an accident or other traffic violation involving ** the employee (as driver) and his/her personal vehicle when a citation is issued. In this instance, timely means: not later than the next work day before assuming driving duties. (** Points assessed will be in accordance with DHSMV guidelines plus 2 for failure to report) Knowingly operating a District and/or personal vehicle with an improper license 10 (suspended or revoked) Failure to stop a school bus at railroad crossings in accordance with District *** procedures and/or State Law. (*** Minimum of 1 point for stopping too close or too far from tracks; maximum of 10 points for failure to stop at crossing. No citation required.) Passing a stopped school bus while bus is loading/unloading passengers and stop 6 arm is displayed. (No citation required) Criminal traffic offenses, if convicted or if no-contest plea is entered. (DUI 7 excepted) Conviction or no contest plea for DUI 10 Source: Clay County Schools Transportation Department, EXHIBIT CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATIONS FOR SAFE DRIVING STANDARDS NUMBER OF POINTS TIME PERIOD MINIMUM DISCIPLINE MAXIMUM DISCIPLINE 2-3 Points 24 months Verbal Warning Verbal Warning 4-5 Points 12 months Written Reprimand Written Reprimand 6-7 points 12 months Written Reprimand (if single incident) 8-9 points 18 months Written Reprimand (if single incident) points 24 months Five day suspension without pay 14 or more points 24 months Termination recommendation Source: Clay County Schools Transportation Department, One day suspension without pay (if multiple incidents) Three day suspension without pay (if multiple incidents) Termination recommendation Termination recommendation MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-18

19 Providing uniforms for bus drivers is an enormous expense for the Clay County School System. Overseeing the bus driver uniform contract is a cumbersome and difficult process for Clay County Transportation staff. Over ten years ago, drivers were able to purchase their own uniforms through a local clothing company, but the number of businesses who produce uniforms for sale has sharply declined. Transportation staff report that it is often difficult and time consuming to obtain drivers clothing sizes, to get uniforms which fit properly, and to get replacements for uniforms that wear out. Furnishing uniforms to bus drivers is a practice in Clay County, and is not common to most other comparison districts. A number of drivers say that they would prefer to wear their own clothing while driving a bus instead of a uniform. Transportation staff say that while they would like to reduce the expense of uniforms, their main concern is that drivers should wear some type of distinctive identification which reassures students and parents. Several drivers have suggested that the bus drivers could wear an identification badge. It would serve to properly identify bus drivers. RECOMMENDATION Recommendation 13-8: Eliminate the contract which provides each bus driver with a set of uniforms. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE 1. The Clay County Purchasing Director should delete bus driver uniforms for the master uniform contract. 2. The Transportation Director should establish a dress code for all bus drivers. 3. The Director of Transportation should have identification badges available for drivers. July 1998 August school year FISCAL IMPACT This recommendation will create a significant cost savings for the Transportation Department through reducing the excessive number of bus driver uniforms that the school system now leases each year. Recommendation Eliminate Driver Uniforms $43,404 $43,404 $43,404 $43,404 $43,404 MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-19

20 FINDING All transportation personnel receive the district s full employee benefit package, irrespective of their part-time or full-time employment status. Over 180 bus drivers, or a majority of transportation employees, work less than 30 hours per week. Most transportation positions in other school districts do not receive full-time benefits unless they are classified as full-time. Due to the relatively high benefit costs associated with part-time positions in another Florida school district, the school board instituted a policy change that now requires district personnel to work a minimum of 30 hours per week (6 hours per day) to qualify for benefits. This policy became effective during the school year. The former policy was grandfathered in to protect current part-time personnel from losing their benefits. However, new personnel hired following this policy change and scheduled to work less than 30 hours per week (6 hours per day) do not receive district benefits. RECOMMENDATION Recommendation 13-9: Discontinue providing free employee benefits to positions that are classified as part-time. The Board should institute a policy that requires that a position must be classified as full-time to receive free employment benefits. Full-time personnel should be classified as those individuals who work a minimum of 30 hours per week (6 hours per day). The former policy should be grandfathered in to protect current bus drivers and monitors from losing their benefits. All transportation personnel, primarily bus drivers and monitors, who are hired following this policy change and who are scheduled to work less than 30 hours per week (6 hours per day) should not receive free benefits. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE 1. District personnel administrators should develop a proposed change in the personnel benefits policy to reflect the change in benefit qualifications by employment status. 2. District personnel administrators should met with association representatives to present the proposed changes in the employee benefits policy. 3. The proposed changes should be submitted to the School Board for approval. 4. The School Board should revise the district policy with respect to qualifications to receive benefits. January 1999 March 1999 Spring 1999 June 1999 MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-20

21 5. The revised benefits policy should be formally communicated to all district personnel. 6. All new personnel hired to fill part-time positions should not receive a free benefits package. June 1999 Commencing in July 1999 FISCAL IMPACT The elimination of free benefits for part-time bus drivers and monitors hired should generate substantial cost savings for the district. The savings can be computed as follows: There were 31 bus driver/monitor vacancies in Eliminating free benefits for this number of positions in the following year would result in a cost savings of $60,891 (31 positions x $8.73 per hour x 5 hours per day x 180 days per year =$243,567 x 25.4 percent of benefits =$60,891 cost savings per year.) This savings would cumulate as an increasing number of new part-time drivers would receive no benefits. Recommendation Eliminate Free Benefits for Part-Time Transportation Workers $61,000 $122,000 $183,000 $244, Routing and Scheduling CURRENT SITUATION Routing and scheduling are required to ensure sufficient buses are available for transporting students to their assigned school. Buses are assigned routes and scheduled for student pick up based on the carefully made decisions of the Routing Specialists. FINDING Exhibit 13-12* provides bus ridership information for the Clay County School District. The exhibit furnishes the following information for each school bus in the Clay County fleet: bus number school(s) served start and stopping time for a.m. and p.m. bus routes indication of whether the bus transports regular education or ESE students on specific routes *Since Exhibit is several pages, it is located at the end of this chapter. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-21

22 number of average riders year of the bus bus occupancy bus size and capacity number of daily miles traveled number of yearly miles traveled The exhibit shows that primarily the older buses in the fleet are designed as spares. The Clay County Transportation Department utilizes a three-tiered staggered schedule approach to transport elementary, middle, and high school students. In most cases, each school bus runs three separate bus routes. The bus occupancy rate for the regular buses shown in Exhibit is 75.4 percent, which is right at the industry standard of 75 percent. FINDING The Clay County School District uses an efficient system of staggered bus schedules to transport elementary, middle and high school students. The existing system makes effective use of the county s bus fleet for student transportation. COMMENDATION The Clay County School District is commended for using an efficient system of three-tier staggered bus scheduling which makes effective use of the bus fleet for student transportation. FINDING The Clay County Transportation Department uses a computer program called MapNet, which is designed by Ecotran Systems, Inc., to create bus routes and bus stops. The program utilizes a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database which contains location coordinate information for each school, all existing bus stops, and an address database for students who utilize Clay County transportation services. The Routing Coordinator uses the MapNet Program to generate the most efficient bus route possible and to create new bus stops as requested. A staff person at each school in Clay County enters name and address data for eligible students who wish to receive bus service into the transportation database. The Routing Coordinator is responsible for accessing this information, developing bus routes, and establishing bus stops. An added advantage of MapNet is that the system enables staff to thoroughly evaluate the safety hazards of most potential bus stops without having to physically visit each site. At the present time, only one of the three Routing Coordinators has been trained in the use of MapNet, and as a result, this staff person is virtually confined to a computer screen for the majority of each workday, making route and scheduling changes which must be made as new students are added for bus service to the transportation database, as students move away, and as new bus stops are added in response to parent requests. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-22

23 The district plans to train the remaining Routing Coordinators to become certified MapNet operators by February Following the MapNet Computer training, it will be much more efficient for all three Routing Coordinators to make bus route and bus stops changes during a three-hour period in the morning. This modification would make time available during the rest of the workday for staff to conduct site evaluations of bus drivers in the field. COMMENDATION The Clay County School District is commended for training all Routing Coordinators to use the MapNet System ESE Students Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students are enrolled in a Clay County school and defined as handicapped (in accordance with Section , Florida Statutes). These students are eligible for transportation at public expense. ESE students are generally picked up as near to their residence as possible. ESE routes and bus stops are planned to minimize the time spent on the bus. Major handicapped classifications normally transported include: Trainable Mentally Handicapped (TMH) Profoundly Mentally Handicapped (PMH) Visually impaired Hearing impaired Physically impaired (PI) Autistic Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED) Emotionally Handicapped (EF) Learning Disabled (LD) Of the total 12,000 students transported in Clay County, approximately 365 or three percent, are defined as disabled. There are 68 ESE bus routes. All ESE buses are assigned a monitor to help students and make their trip more comfortable while the bus driver is occupied. FINDING At the present time, all route planning for ESE students is done by an individual Routing Coordinator entirely on a manual basis, without using the MapNet, as it has been traditionally done for more than 15 years. The Routing Coordinator uses address information on all ESE students which is received through the schools. As ESE drivers pick these students up as close to their residence as possible, the Routing Coordinator creates a general route based on information provided, and then has the bus driver conduct a test run, making notes on a log sheet to indicate the time it took to reach each destination and pick up each child. ESE routes must be rearranged and reorganized on a monthly and often weekly basis, according to the number of students who have moved, and specific state requirements MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-23

24 specifying which types of ESE students may or may not be transported together according to their emotional and physical handicaps. ESE has historically been one of the most complex and difficult services for Routing Coordinators. Some individual ESE students may become extremely difficult to transport because of their emotional handicaps. RECOMMENDATION Recommendation 13-10: Computerize the preparation of bus routes for ESE students. The Clay County School District presently has the technological capability to computerize all ESE bus routing development through its MapNet Program. Generating all ESE bus routes and bus stops through MapNet would be a significant time savings for Operations and Training staff and should be implemented. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE 1. The Routing Coordinator who works with ESE should receive training to operate the MapNet System. 2. The Routing Coordinator should begin to use MapNet to develop all ESE bus routes for the Clay County School District. Summer school year FISCAL IMPACT This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources and will save significant time for transportation staff Courtesy Riders FINDING The Clay County Handbook of Transportation Operations (Component 5-2) states: As a general rule, students in grades K-6 will not be provided transportation unless they reside more than 1.5 miles from their assigned school. For students in grades 7-12, transportation will not be provided unless they reside more than 2.0 miles from their assigned school. The walk zone for a school shall be defined as the geographic areas located within the 1.5 or 2.0 miles walkout. In fact, the Clay County School District has a significant number of courtesy riders. Of the 11,735 students transported in January 1998, 1,693 or percent are courtesy riders. MGT of America, Inc. Clay Page 13-24